Winston "Wole" Soboyejo
Provost and Senior Vice President Winston Oluwole “Wole” Soboyejo was appointed interim president by the Board of Trustees in February 2022 and assumed the role on May 16, 2022. Prior to becoming Provost in 2019, he served as the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of the School of Engineering at WPI.
Before joining WPI, Soboyejo was a Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University for nearly two decades. He is a materials scientist whose research focuses on biomaterials and the use of nanoparticles for the detection and treatment of disease, the mechanical properties of materials, and the use of materials science to promote global development. His current projects include the use of nanomaterials for targeting and treating cancer; a shear assay technique that may be able to measure the mechanical properties of organelles in the cell; the development of low-cost solar cells/light-emitting devices; and sustainable approaches to providing clean water, affordable housing and education to people in the developing world.
Soboyejo has an exceptional record of achievement in engineering research and academic leadership, as well as impressive accomplishments in international development and a noteworthy track record in building global research and educational partnerships. For example, he founded the U.S./Africa Materials Institute at Princeton, one of six international materials institutes supported by the National Science Foundation. He has also served as President and Provost of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) in Abuja, Nigeria, a Pan-African university founded by the Nelson Mandela Institutions (NMI).
Soboyejo has also served as the chair of the African Scientific Committee of the NMI. He held research positions at the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories in St. Louis and the Edison Welding Institute in Columbus, Ohio, as well as faculty positions at The Ohio State University and MIT, before joining the Princeton faculty in 1999.
As WPI Provost, Wole leveraged his noteworthy record of building global research and educational partnerships to help launch The Global School at WPI. He also joined key stakeholders in facilitating interdisciplinary research teams that are driving new collaborations and innovations—and he worked closely with trustees, administration, and faculty to bring about new opportunities for teaching faculty including a tenure track.
Soboyejo Inducted into National Academy of Engineering
The newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) from the Classes of ‘20, ‘21, and ‘22—including Interim President Soboyejo—were recently celebrated at the NAE Annual Meeting.